Countdown to the Implementation of Ecodesign Standards for Products

The European Ecodesign Regulation (2024/1781/EU) was published in the European Union’s Official Journal on June 28, 2024, and it became operative on July 18, 2024. The production processes of many different items will be drastically altered by this regulation, which will have an immediate impact on the supply chains of any businesses planning to sell goods into the European Union. Its primary goal is to increase the sustainability of products by enacting a number of regulations and bans that will be tailored to each product category by way of delegated acts from the European Commission. As a framework law, this regulation will determine specific product regulations either horizontally, based on groupings of goods with comparable features, or gradually over time, product by product.

In more detail

The Ecodesign Regulation’s set of standards was formerly limited to energy-related items and was outlined in Directive 2009/125/CE. The directive stated above is replaced by the Ecodesign Regulation, which broadens the scope of this method to include the greatest number of items.

Generally speaking, the Ecodesign Regulation lays forth a set of ecodesign specifications that might include informational requirements, performance criteria, or both.

Accordingly, the Ecodesign Regulation’s performance requirements cover the following aspects of the product: energy and resource efficiency, presence of substances of concern, durability, reliability, repairability, upgradeability, reusability, and recycling; expected waste generation; and environmental impact, including carbon footprint and environmental footprint. The European Commission will propose delegated acts that will specify and decide these standards for each product group.

Conversely, the purpose of the information needs is to influence customer behavior. A significant innovation brought about by the Ecodesign Regulation is the digital product passport, which will provide consumers and business owners with access to a summary of the goods’ key features. Because it will be registered in a digital register that will be accessible by July 19, 2026, this passport will be made available to the public online.

Furthermore, the legislation places limitations on the disposal of unsold goods. In this context, the following actions are anticipated:

• It will be mandatory for major enterprises to report yearly on unsold consumer items that are dumped via their website by July 19, 2025, and for medium-sized companies starting July 19, 2030.
• The Ecodesign Regulation, which applies to specific pieces of clothing, clothing accessories, and footwear, forbids the destruction of unsold consumer products mentioned in Annex VII. This prohibition applies to big enterprises starting on July 19, 2026, and medium-sized companies starting on July 19, 2030.

For products including iron and steel, aluminum, textiles, furniture, tires, detergents, paints, chemicals, lubricants, energy-related products, and electronic goods, the European Commission will give priority to the implementation of the aforementioned delegated acts. The date when the ecodesign standards for the applicable product category will go into effect will be determined by each delegated act. This application date must be less than 18 months, unless there are well indicated exceptions. The first adopted delegated act cannot go into effect before July 19, 2025